I Promise
by Vous Etes Belle
Summary: "Somoneone called me 'Cherry' today and it reminded me of you.." Aaron and Beth live their lives, waiting for her 18th birthday. With so many distractions, can they stay together? Or break their promises?
1. Epilouge - Separation Is Our Love Now

_Dear Beth,_

_Since you left, things have been a bore, to say the least. School has droned on incessantly and I am dreading have to go home for the holidays. One year of you in Florida has been dreadful. I'll see you in New York._

_Sincerely,_

_Aaron_

* * *

_Dear Aaron,_

_There you go with the big words again. Did you have a thesaurus next to you as you wrote the letter? Things have been good for my mom; she's clean and has her act together. We've been getting along well with my grandmother, though she is still overbearing. I hate the kids in my school. They are, as you'd say, dreadful. One guy keeps hitting on me, though I tell him I'm taken. Am I taken?_

_XO,_

_Beth_

* * *

_Dear Beth,_

_Yes, you are taken. Don't worry about them, you're a sophomore and I'll try to visit you, your mother and your domineering grandmother. I would enjoy the warmth since snow has fallen for a week now. My roommate, you remember him right? He has finally calmed down his libido, which means I can get a good night's sleep for once. Who am I kidding? If you're not here, there's no sleep for me._

_Sincerely,_

_Aaron_

* * *

_Dear Aaron,_

_Domineering? Seriously? I'm going to throw a dictionary at your head. As for your roommate, Wild Bill was kinda cute. Not as cute as you are, though. My mother asks why I always smile at your letters, she doesn't know they're from you, and why I am always writing. She thinks there is something wrong with me. Stupid. My grandmother wanted to be a bitch suddenly, telling me not to have my face in these letters. By the way, she wants you to send a picture._

_XO,_

_Beth_

* * *

_Dear Beth,_

_Your grandmother knows about me and the letters, but your mother doesn't? Are you afraid of her being jealous and writing a letter to me? Beth, your mother is not going to make me stop liking you. Someone called me 'Cherry' today and it reminded me of you. Speaking of, is that guy still bothering you? He better not be._

_Love,_

_Aaron_

_P.S., there's a picture enclosed with this._

* * *

_Dear Aaron,_

_My grandmother loved the picture. She said that you were just the cutest, no protest from me, of course. No, that boy has not been bothering me. I told him that I was happily taken and that he was nothing compared to my boyfriend. Wow, it's so weird calling you that. Tomorrow's my 16th birthday. We're still going to Skype, right? Of course, my mom will be there and we'll have a private celebration with the three of us._

_Love,_

_Beth_

* * *

_Dear Beth,_

_I have gotten no sleep since your last letter. Wild Bill has been yelling at me every night to 'turn off that damned light and go to sleep'. He also called me a faggot and told me to stop writing gay letters to my girlfriend. He likes to give me a thumbs up when he sees me writing to you. These words are wasting my time, turn 18 already._

_Love,_

_Aaron_

* * *

**A little background of why I am writing this story;**

**I watched this movie, Cherry, on Netflix. I loved how Aaron was so torn between mother and daughter, but I was also Aaron & Beth the whole time. They just made plans to be together once she went to college, but I wanted to write a story about the in-between years and how they meet again on her eighteenth birthday to finally be together.**

**So, I hop you like the story. This is just the first chapter, which is some letters they wrote to each other. Chapter One will be up next Tuesday. I suggest listening to My New Romance by The Burning Hotels as you read this chapter.**


	2. Chapter 1 - Aaron

_So, it's a bit short, but it's something as I catch up on all my stories._

The crisp winter air swirled around me as I walked across campus to my art class. It didn't feel the same since Linda left, but I would have to deal. Classes always flew by in record time and once I got back to my dorm, time seemed to slow down. I continue to write and Skype with Beth, though a part of me is anxious for the day she turns eighteen.

I also speak to Darcy, though I don't seem to become enamored by our conversations as much as I do with Beth's letters. I sighed as I sat at my usual easel.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. We'll be doing portraits. Begin." The teacher's voice was quiet as she went to walk around the room. I decided to do self-portraits, but the more I drew, the more it looked of Beth. The more I tried to make it look less of her, the more it did. I sighed through my nose and stood, walking to the teacher and telling her I was finished. I walked out of the class room and back to dorm.

I sat on my bed and looked through the letters. God, almost two years have passed and I can't get over how much I miss her. I look at the clock and see that it is only one. Beth is still in school. _Sigh._ I open my laptop and put my iTunes on shuffle.

_I belong with you, you belong with me. You're my sweetheart. _I hum along as I close my eyes and slowly drift into sleep. When I awaken, I look to the clock and see that it is seven. I yawn as I grab my cell phone to check for messages. 19 missed texts and 5 missed calls from Beth. _Shit._ I was supposed to call her at four. I listen to the first voicemail.

"_Aaron, it's Beth. Call me._"

Then, the next.

"_Aaron, are you okay? Call me._"

Then, the next.

"_You ass. Call me, douche._"

Then, the last.

"_You were supposed to call me, you douche bag. People are shitty with promises._"

I call her and she answers automatically.

"_What do you want?_" she snaps.

"I'm sorry. I fell asleep. This is the first time I've got any decent sleep."

She sighs heavily and then huffs dramatically.

"_I guess I could forgive you._" I smile and sigh relieved.

"I knew you would."

She laughs and we talk forever until her grandmother yells at her for running up the telephone bill. She laughed out a goodbye and I did the same, finally able to have a good night sleep.

When I had woken up, my roommate was gone and the room was trashed. I looked over to his bed to see a girl, still asleep. Probably trying to sleep off the hard night of alcohol and sex that she had probably had with Wild Bill. I sighed and got dressed for the day, glancing at the girl every so often to make sure she was breathing.

As I was about to leave and endure another day without Beth, the girl had mumbled out a greeting then said, "Wait." I stopped and turned on my heel to face her. She unashamedly smiled as I looked down at her shirtless body.

"You're Bill's roommate, right? I'm Ezria," she introduced and held out her hand. I took it cautiously and used this time to really get a look at her. She had tanned skin, which looked natural but who could tell these days? She had dark brown eyes, so dark you could barely tell the difference between the iris and the pupil, and light brown hair that faded to blonde. She had a nice, small smile as if she didn't want to show her teeth and soft hands. I realised that I had been holding her hand for too long and let go.

She let out a bark of a laugh and said, "Don't worry, he told me you were taken. I respect that." I raised an eyebrow at her, which made her smile more. "I asked about you when I walked in." I gave her a polite smile and licked my lips.

"Well, I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Ezria," I said nervously.

"It's my pleasure, Aaron." She let out a small smile before redressing and I walked out the door.

The school day was a blur, I felt so exhausted and I didn't understand why. I had gotten well over 10 hours of sleep, uninterrupted sleep. I began to scrutinize what had made me so tired and when I had become so tired. After thinking about it, I'd realised that it'd began when I had met that girl. Ezria. I don't know what it is about that girl, what she did to me. It doesn't make any sense, no matter how much I think about it. I enter my room and grab my laptop immediately, putting up my email. I need to write Beth, that'd cure me.

_Dear Beth,_

_I have missed you and I have a feeling that writing a letter would be best. Since I have talked to you yesterday, nothing really has happened. Then again, most days are a blur without you here. I wish that I could somehow see you, in person, not on Skype or whatever else. I want you to be here, in the flesh so that I can hug you and kiss you. It's truly killing me now. I love you._

_Always,_

_Aaron_


End file.
